Preseli Pembrokeshire MP Mr Crabb hinted he will take less hostile view of further devolution - and backed a Welsh bid for Commonwealth Games

New Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb has signalled the Wales Office is poised to change its attitude to devolution – saying the UK Government’s second loss in the Supreme Court over Welsh laws “gave food for thought” on how the settlement should develop.

In a question-and-answer session with the press in Cardiff, Mr Crabb and the two Wales Office Ministers – Baroness Jenny Randerson and new addition Alun Cairns – pledged to build relationships outside of the government and with Welsh Government and also backed bringing the Commonwealth Games to Wales in 2026.

The trio also suggested the office was relaxed about future debates over the so-called “lockstep” restriction on income tax powers and further powers proposed in the second report of the cross-party Silk Commission on more (non-financial) powers of the Assembly, with Mr Crabb insisting he was “not bound” by its previous submission, which only proposed only very modest powers to be devolved.

It came after Mr Crabb was appointed the new Secretary of State for Wales in place of Clwyd West MP David Jones in a wide-ranging reshuffle earlier this month, with Vale of Glamorgan MP Mr Cairns taking his place as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.

But he signalled he was ready to move away from the devo-sceptic position adopted by his predecessor – hinting the UK Government would seriously consider a move to the so-called “reserved powers model” of devolution used in Scotland, which has been called for to reduce conflict with London.

Mr Jones had previously said the model was “inappropriate” for Wales.

But Mr Crabb said: “You’ll be very aware of the very strong Supreme Court ruling there was on the Agricultural Wages Bill, which gives us all food for thought about how the devolution settlement might develop in the future.

“Today is not the day to say whether we are throwing our weight behind the reserved model or not.

“But you can clearly see the implications of that Supreme Court ruling and where we now need to start thinking about in terms of making the devolution settlement a stable one that benefits the people of Wales.”

The UK Government suffered an embarrassment in the Supreme Court, when five justices concluded unanimously to throw out its challenge to the Agricultural Wages Bill, which aims to re-establish a panel to set the wages of farm workers in Wales after the UK Government had abolished the board for England and Wales.

UK Ministers argued the National Assembly couldn’t establish its own, as it would fall under employment law, which is not devolved to Wales.

The Welsh Government successfully argued it fell under agriculture – the responsibility of the Assembly – a view which was comprehensively backed by the court.

“I’ve been consistent in recent years on the issue of devolution,” Mr Crabb said.

“For me the game-changer was the last referendum, where by a majority...of around two to one, the people of Wales voted for more devolution, not less.

“There’s a clear direction of travel there and that’s something that we need to be sensitive to and work with.

“There is no drawing of lines in the sand for me. What there is, is an appreciation of how Wales can benefit from the devolution settlement.

“I’ve never been somebody who says we should devolve this for the sake of it. It needs to be devolution with a purpose.

“So if there is a case to be made for devolving more areas to Welsh Government responsibility, then I’m keen to engage with that.”

Mr Crabb, who visited the Welsh Commonwealth Games team ahead of the start of the event last week, also comprehensively backed the Games coming to Wales in 2026.

Sport Wales has said it is pondering a possible bid for Wales to host the Games in just over a decade, with representatives in Glasgow for the current staging.

Cardiff council and the Welsh Government already launched a feasibility study last year into whether the Games could come to Wales, which is ongoing.

Asked whether Wales should take inspiration from Scotland to launch a bid itself – or whether he agreed with Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt’s alleged withering assessment of the Games, which the athletic ace has since denied – Mr Crabb said: “I’m not of the Usain Bolt opinion.

“I was really privileged to go up last Wednesday to have a couple of hours with the athletes and coaches of Team Wales and share in some of the atmosphere with them.

“And how impressed was I with their focus and their passion.

“They’ve already surpassed their medals target just one week into the Games and you can see why.

“Experiencing the opening ceremony – and also the business conference which the Prime Minister kicked off that afternoon before the opening ceremony, using these major events as a hook for investment in the same way we’d like to with the Nato summit.

“I would love a big eye-catching event like the Commonwealth Games to come to Wales.

“We’ve shown in the past with the Ryder Cup, with the fantastic rugby internationals that we put on and going to show with the Nato sumnmit as well, just what quality of hospitality visitors to Wales can expect.

“The quality of our infrastructure as well.

“Sometimes in Wales we are very good at talking ourselves down and actually if we’re thinking seriously about the potential for Wales to host the Commonwealth Games, we need to be talking about what we do well.

“I think we are approaching a place where we could be in a position to host that.”

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